Metal awnings



P 4, 1956 w. c. ICENBERGER 2,761,500

METAL AWNINGS Filed April 16, 1955 United States Patent D/ETAL AWNINGS William C. Icenlaerger, Vinita, Okla.

Application April 16, 1953, Serial No. 349,155

1 Claim. (Cl. 160-432) This invention relates to metal awnings and in particular to metal awnings which are foldable and extensible.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a metal awning, having sides as well as a top portion, which may be folded and extended from inside a building to which it is attached, which is substantially watertight, either in fully extended or in partially folded position, which is simple in construction, easy to install and ornamental.

Other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the following description and accompanying drawing.

in accordance with this invention generally stated, a metal awning is made up of a multiplicity of sections, each having side and top parts. One of the sections, hereinatter called the fixed section, is adapted to be mounted directly on a wall. The remaining sections are constructed to nest within the fixed section and within a contiguous section. Each of the sections except the fixed section is provided with an outwardly turned flange which may extend along the uppermost edge of both its side and top parts. Each of the sections except that section which is farthest removed from the first section is provided with an inwardly extending flange which may extend along the lowermost edge of both its top and side parts. The flanges of successive sections interengage when the awning is in its extended position. These flanges serve to support the intermediate sections in extended position and, when continuous, to form a seal between successive sections. The lowermost section is provided with means by which it can be raised and lowered from inside the building, and by which each section succeeding it toward the fixed section is progressively raised and lowered.

in the drawing, Figure 1 is a view in perspective of an awning constructed in accordance with this invention, mounted on a window casing.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the device shown in Figure 1 in partially folded position, and,

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawing for an illustrative embodiment of this invention, 1 represents an awning mounted on a window casing 2, on the outside of a building 3. The awning is made up of a fixed section 10, a series of intermediate sections 12 and a lowermost section 14. Each of the sections has triangular side parts 16 and a substantially rectangular top part 18.

Each of the intermediate sections 12 and the lowermost section 14 is pivoted at the small, free end of the side parts 16 on a pivot pin 22 at either side of the awning. In the embodiment shown the pivot pin 22 takes the form of a rod extending between the opposite side parts 16 and serving to space these side parts. The fixed section is provided with an outwardly extending rim 11 through which screws 13 extend to secure the awning to the casing. The lower edge of each of the fixed section 10 and the 2,761,500 Patented Sept. 4, 1956 intermediate sections 12 is provided with a downwardly extending flange 15, which in the embodiment shown extends along the side parts 16 as well as the top part 18. The upper edge of the side parts 16 and the top part 18 of the lowermost section 14 and of the intermediate sections 12 is provided with an outwardly extending flange 17 which engages the downwardly extending flange 15 of adjacent sections when the awning is extended. The lowermost section 14 is provided around the whole of its lower edge with an outwardly extending lip 20. The lip 20 is of a width such as to bridge the space'between the lowermost section and the lower edge of the fixed section 10 when the awning is in fully folded position. In the embodiment shown, the lip 20 is slanted downwardly from the horizontal when the awning is in its extended position to facilitate run-01f of water. A channel 28 extends along the lower edge of the inside surface of the parts 16 of the lowermost section 14.

in the embodiment shown, the awning 1 is folded and extended from within the building 3. A bracket 39 is mounted on the outside face of the window casing 2 above the pivot pin 22 and inboard of the lowermost section 14. The bracket 39 is mounted by means of screws 32. A lever arm 34, provided at its inner end with a gear segment 36, is pivotally mounted on the bracket 30. The bracket 3% may also carry a bearing, not here shown, by which a worm gear 33 is maintained in operative engagement with the gear segment 36. The worm gear 33 is mounted on the end of a shaft 40 which extends through the window frame immediately behind the jamb so as not to interfere with the operation of the weights and cords of the window. A handle 42, fixed to the end of the shaft 49, is inside the building 3. At the end of the lever arm 34 away from the gear se ment 36, is mounted a roller 43, which is arranged to roll along and within channel 28, as shown particularly in Figure 4.

in operation, assuming that the awning is in its fully extended position as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the handle 42 need only be turned in a clockwise position (looking toward the outside of the building) to raise the awning. As the worm gear is rotated in that direction, the gear segment is turned in a clockwise direction (as looked at in Figure 2), raising the outer end of the lever arm 34. The roller 48 transmits the upward force of the lever arm to the channel, hence to the lowermost section 14, raising the lowermost section 14. The roller 43 moves outwardly with respect to the channel 28, as indicated in Figure 3, because the pivot pin 22 and pivot of the lever arm 34 are not concentric. As the lowermost section 14 is raised, its flange 17 moves upwardly, away from the flange 15' against which it rests in fully extended position, but the next succeeding intermediate section does not begin to move upwardly until the lip 20 contacts the flange 15 of that intermediate section. Similarly as the arm 34 continues to be rotated, the flange 17 of the intermediate section 12 first succeeding the lowermost section 14 moves away from its contiguous flange 15 until the lip 20 reaches that flange 15.

The lip 26 forms a kind of trim so that when the sections are all nested within the fixed section, the lip 2%), bearing against the flange 15 of the fixed section it) gives a finished appearance, and boxes in all the intermediate sections 12.

In extending the awning, the handle need only be turned in the opposite direction.

The lip 29 may be omitted from the lowermost section 14, and the lowermost section 14 be made identical with the intermediate sections 12, as long as means are provided for folding the intermediate sections as the lowermost section is raised. This can be accomplished in a number of ways. For example, the radial lengths (from 3 the pivots 22) of the lower edges of the side panels of all of the lowermost and intermediate sections can be made the same, and the radial lengths (from the pivots 22) of the upper edges of the side panels can be made substantially shorter than those of the lower edges. Then, in raising the awning, the top part of the lowermost section .will engage the underside of the top part of the next adjacent section, the top part of the next adjacent section will engage the section immediately above it, and so on, until the fixed section is reached.

It can be seen that if a certain amount cf ventilation of the awning itself is desired, the flanges 15 and 17 may either be cut away coincidently at intervals, or the flanges 15 and 17 may be spaced apart, as by opposed corrugations, in such a way that the peaks of the corrugations meet, leaving the spaces between the valleys open. Ventilation can also be accomplished by omitting or cutting partly away the flanges 15 and 17 along the side parts 16.

The pivot pins 22 may be separately mounted in brackets, instead of taking the form of a single rod as shown.

Numerous other variations in the structure and in the particular design of the device within the scope of the following claim, will become apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing disclosure.

Thus it can be seen that a foldable and extensible metal awning is provided which is simple but efiective, combining the permanence and stability of metal awnings with the flexibility of fabric awnings and presenting an attractive appearance while afiording the area it overhangs protection from the elements in any stage of its extension.

Having thus described this invention what I claim and desire to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A foldable and extensible metal awning comprising a fixed section adapted to be mounted on a building; a lowermost section pivoted for rotation within the boundaries of said fixed section; a plurality of intermediate sections pivoted and positioned between said fixed section and said lowermost section; means for rotating said lowermost section said means comprising a channel bracket mounted on the inside surface at the lower edge of a radially extending leg of said lowermost section, a lever arm one end of which is slideably received within said channel bracket and the other end of which is provided with a gear segment, said lever arm being pivotally mounted concentrically with said gear segment in a bracket mounted on said building, a worm gear, meshing with the said gear segment, and mounted on the outer end of a shaft extending within said building, and a handle on the inner end of said shaft; and an outwarldy extending lip around the entire lower edge of the lowermost section, said lip being of a width sufficient fully to bridge the space between the lowermost section and the fixed section when the awning is in fully folded position, said lip engaging the intermediate section successively as the lowermost section is rotated upwardly to carry said intermediate sections upwardly, and disengaging said intermediate sections successively as said lowermost section is rotated downwardly, said intermediate sections nesting between said fixed section and said lowermost section and being fully enclosed by said fixed and lowermost sections and said lip when the awning is in its fully folded position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 315,250 Cook Apr. 7, 1885 462,520 Wallace Nov. 3, 1891 1,433,458 Isaacson et al. Oct. 24, 1922 1,835,694 Cloud Dec. 8, 1931 1,851,810 Cone Mar. 29, 1932 2,126,293 Thompson Aug. 9, 1938 2,127,062 Kitching Aug. 16, 1938 

